Man charged in rape had once been banned from victim's building

Woman, 90, beaten, sexually assaulted in Annapolis high-rise

February 17, 2005|By Sarah Schaffer | Sarah Schaffer,SUN STAFF

An Annapolis man charged in the rape and beating of a 90-year-old woman at a public housing high-rise this week had once been barred by Housing Authority officials from the building, city police said yesterday.

Gregory Paul Moreland, 51, was charged Tuesday with first-degree rape, first- and second-degree assault, burglary and other offenses stemming from the attack on the woman Monday afternoon during a citywide power outage, said Officer Hal Dalton, a city police spokesman.

Moreland, who has a lengthy criminal record, was being held without bail yesterday at the Anne Arundel County detention center.

Dalton said that although the Annapolis Housing Authority barred Moreland from the Glenwood Hi-Rise at one point, he was later given permission to visit his elderly mother, who also lived in the building. Dalton said he was not sure who ordered the ban lifted.

A woman who answered the phone at the Housing Authority's offices late yesterday hung up when asked about the incident. But when reached at home last night, Trudy McFall, chairwoman of the authority's board of commissioners, said she'll be "beefing up" security at the building in the coming weeks.

Dalton said police were called to the victim's apartment about 10:15 p.m. after a neighbor found her and dialed 911, Dalton said.

According to charging documents, the elderly woman told investigators that Moreland approached her outside her apartment, grabbed her from behind, pushed her through the front door and then forced her to the floor. When she tried to fight back during the assault, the report noted, he became violent, threatened to kill her and then attempted to choke her.

The victim was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center, where she was treated and released Monday. Hospital officials said last night that she was re-admitted to the emergency room yesterday afternoon. A physical examination revealed that she had been sexually assaulted, charging documents said.

The Sun does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Court records show that Moreland has lived at a number of addresses within the city limits, with the most current being his mother's Glenwood apartment. Records also show that Moreland was on probation at the time of the incident.

In 2002 and 2004, he was convicted of felony theft and has also been found guilty of possessing drug paraphernalia. Moreland has also been charged with numerous misdemeanors and other offenses, including burglary, disorderly conduct, indecent exposure and trespassing.

When interviewed by police, Moreland said he had visited his mother that night but denied any involvement in the rape, according to Dalton and charging documents.